SCOOPED ISSUE 1 11/2014 The Cancer Biology PhD Program Newsletter

Editiorial Letter Page 1Research Highlights Page 2Spotlight: URPP «Translational Cancer Research» Page 4Interviews: New CNZ Members 2013-2014 Page 6Alumni Page 8Retreat Reports: Cancer Biology Students´ Retreat Page 9Miscellaneous: Student Representatives / CNZ Retreat / Impressum Page 10

This is the first issue of SCOOPED, the new biannual Cancer Biology PhD program newsletter.The Cancer Biology PhD program is constantly growing; 138 students are spread across 26 institutes at different locations.With this newsletter we would like to provide a platform for communication and scien-tific exchange between members of the Cancer Biology program.

The success of this newsletter largely depends on your assistance, ideas and feedback. Therefore we encourage you to contact us when:

- you publish a paper you would like to share with the cancer research community in our «Research Highlights» section

- you develop an exceptional technique other labs could profit from, which you would like to explain in more detail - you go to a conference and would like to write a brief report about the highlights of the meeting

- you have some other type of information you would like to communicate

- you want to give us some general feedback

In addition we are looking for motivated people who are interested in joining the news-letter team. Please contact us if you would like to contribute to the next issue of SCOOPED by collecting information, conducting interviews or writing articles:

CancerBioNews@gmail.com

We hope you enjoy reading :)

Mara Hartung, Corina Schmid, Michael Flori

SCOOPED Editorial Letter

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Dear Readers,

"Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham www.phdcomics.com

Marjo R. Puumalainen - Group Prof. H. Nägeli

Our research identified a new way how human cells maintain their genomic in-tegrity through timely re-gulation of DNA damage sensors DDB2 and XPC by ubiquitin-proteasome re-gulator p97. This finding reveals that early damage sensors act as a double-edged sword: they are es-sential to trigger DNA re-pair, but if not removed from chromatin, become detrimental to cells.

Chromatin retention of DNA damage sensors DDB2 and XPC through loss of p97 segregase causes genoto-xicityPuumalainen M.R., Lessel D., Ruthemann P., Kaczma-rek N., Bachmann K., Ramadan and K., Naegeli H

Abstract: DNA damage recognition subunits such as DDB2 and XPC protect the human skin from ultraviolet (UV) light- induced genome instability and cancer, as demonstrated by the devastating inherited syndrome xeroderma pig-mentosum. Here we show that the beneficial DNA re-pair response triggered by these two genome caretakers critically depends on a dynamic spatiotemporal regula-tion of their homeostasis. The prolonged retention of DDB2 and XPC in chromatin, because of a failure to rea-dily remove both recognition subunits by the ubiquitin-dependent p97/VCP/Cdc48 segregase complex, leads to impaired DNA excision repair of UV lesions. Surprisin-gly, the ensuing chromosomal aberrations in p97-defici-ent cells are alleviated by a concomitant downregulation of DDB2 or XPC. Also, genome instability resulting from an excess of DDB2 persisting in UV-irradiated cells is prevented by concurrent p97 overexpression. Our fin-dings demonstrate that DNA damage sensors and repair initiators acquire unexpected genotoxic properties if not controlled by timely extraction from chromatin.

Lepakshi Ranjha - Group Prof. P. Cejka

Our results provide the first insight towards un-derstanding where Mlh1-Mlh3 acts on intermediates of homologous recombian-tion such as Holliday Junc-tions and processes them specifically into crossovers during meiotic recombina-tion. We show that Mlh1-Mlh3 prefers to bind open unstacked Holliday Junc-tions in vitro. The mecha-nism is conserved from yeast to humans. We also show that Mlh1-Mlh3 is a

nuclease that nicks double-stranded DNA, as anticipa-ted by genetic studies.

The Mlh1-Mlh3 heterodimer is an endonuclease that preferentially binds to Holliday junctions

Ranjha L., Anand R. and Cejka P.

Abstract:MutLγ, a heterodimer of the MutL homologues Mlh1 and Mlh3, plays a critical role during meiotic homolo-gous recombination. The meiotic function of Mlh3 is fully dependent on the integrity of a putative nuclease motif DQHA(X)2E(X)4E, inferring that the anticipated nuclease activity of Mlh1-Mlh3 is involved in the proces-sing of joint molecules to generate crossover recombina-tion products. Although a vast body of genetic and cell biological data regarding Mlh1-Mlh3 is available, me-chanistic insights into its function have been lacking due to the unavailability of the recombinant protein com-plex. Here we expressed both yeast Mlh1-Mlh3 and hu-man MLH1-MLH3 heterodimers and purified them into near homogeneity. We show that recombinant MutLγ is a nuclease that nicks double-stranded DNA. Unexpec-tedly, we demonstrate that both yeast and human MutLγ bind DNA with high affinity, and show a marked prefe-rence for Holliday junctions. Specific DNA recognition has never been observed with any other eukaryotic MutL homologue. MutLγ thus represents a new para-digm for the function of the eukaryotic MutL protein family that is conserved from yeast to humans. We pro-vide insights into the mode of HJ recognition, and show that Mlh1-Mlh3 prefers to bind the open unstacked Hol-liday junction form. This further supports the model where MutLγ is part of a complex acting on joint mole-cules to generate crossovers in meiosis.

SCOOPED Research Highlights

Recent Publications by CB PhD Students

Read full article hereNat Commun. 2014 Apr 28;5:3695

Read full article hereJ Biol Chem. 2014 Feb 28;289(9):5674-86.

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Olga Murina - Group Prof. A. A. Sartori

FANCD2 and CtIP Cooperate to Repair DNA Interstrand CrosslinksMurina O., von Aesch C., Karakus U., Ferretti LP., Bolck HA., Hänggi K. and Sartori AA.

Abstract:The resolution of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) requires a complex interplay bet-ween several processes of DNA metabolism, including the Fanconi anemia (FA) pathway and homologous recombination (HR). FANCD2 monoubiquitination and CtIP-dependent DNA-end resection represent key events in FA and HR activation, res-pectively, but very little is known about their functional relationship. Here, we show that CtIP physically interacts with both FANCD2 and ubiquitin and that monoubiqui-tinated FANCD2 tethers CtIP to damaged chromatin, which helps channel DNA dou-ble-strand breaks generated during ICL processing into the HR pathway. Consequently, CtIP mutants defective in FANCD2 binding fail to associate with damaged chromatin, which leads to increased levels of nonhomologous end-joining activity and ICL hyper-sensitivity. Interestingly, we also observe that CtIP depletion aggravates the genomic instability in FANCD2-deficient cells. Thus, our data indicate that FANCD2 primes CtIP-dependent resection during HR after ICL induction but that CtIP helps prevent illegitimate recombination in FA cells.

SCOOPED Research Highlights

Read full article hereCell Rep. 2014 May 22;7(4):1030-8

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Recent Publications by CB PhD Students

Call for Papers

We would like to continue the section «Research Highlights» in the next issue of SCOOPED. The idea is to briefly highlight work that you have published as first author during your PhD

in order to provide others with an overview of the research topics of the PhD program.

If you would like to share your recent publication with the cancer research community using this platform, please send the abstract and concise summary/significance

(no more than 300 characters) of your work to:

CancerBioNews@gmail.com

The University Research Priority Project “TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH”by Maries van den Broek

Our Mission Cancer is caused by genetic, epigenetic and microenvi-ronmental changes that facilitate the survival and proli-feration of tumor cells, as well as their ability to acquire invasive properties. The plasticity of human tumor cells generally replicates normal molecular processes occur-ring during development and tissue repair. In humans, cancer progression is also shaped by host immune res-ponses that edit the final tumor-host interactions. The genetic complexity and extreme variability of human cancers means a multidisciplinary integrative approach needs to be applied to understand the interactions bet-ween the genetic background of the host, the tumor and its microenvironment, and the impact of these on the immune system. It is becoming evident that successful anti-tumor strategies need to encompass a multimodal approach to avoid tumor escape or relapse: for example, combining agents that are able to block essential signal transduction pathways with immunotherapy. To this end, experts in cancer biology and tumor immunology both from basic and clinical disciplines need to engage in a close collaborative program to identify and test the most promising approaches, leading to tailored thera-pies, including personalized approaches.The main incentive for this URPP is to foster such colla-borations between the best clinical and basic researchers at the UZH and USZ in the fields of clinical oncology, hemato-oncology, immunology, pathology, and mole-cular and developmental biology. Our aim is to accelerate the translation of knowledge generated by basic research labs into preclinical efficacy and safety assessments in relevant animal models and evaluation in human samples, followed by early clinical testing.

Moreover, this URPP will motivate basic scientists to in-vestigate questions of direct clinical relevance and thus promote a closer cooperation between basic and clinical scientists.Clinical and basic scientists have different “research cul-tures” and use distinct research approaches. By instal-ling research positions in the clinical environment and by enforcing collaborations between clinical and basic research groups, this URPP brings together these two scientific “cultures”. This is beneficial for both sides: ba-sic researchers gain first-hand insight into the intricate processes of cancer and can dedicate research efforts to-wards it, while physicians will benefit from the enthusi-astic and structured approaches to scientific problems typical for natural scientists. This concept is key to the “translational” aspect of this URPP.Our goal is to enable and promote individual and con-crete steps that separate cell or developmental biology from clinical trials. In other words, the research of this URPP should encompass the entire process of translati-onal research, yet without claiming to connect the two extremes in one sweep. A key instrument to abbreviate this route from basic research to patients is the tumor cell bank (see subproject C), which also serves as an im-portant bridging instrument between basic and clinical research at the two sites.Besides fostering close collaboration between clinical and fundamental scientists in the field of cancer re-search, our URPP strongly interacts with and supports the Cancer Network Zurich (www.cnz.uzh.ch) and the Lifescience Graduate School Zurich (Cancer Biology PhD program) (www.lszgs.uzh.ch).

SCOOPED Spotlight

IntroductionOur URPP started on January 1st 2013, and aims at a multi-disciplinary approach to cancer research.The URPP board consists of Konrad Basler, Lars French and Maries van den Broek. Besides the members of the board, the consortium is composed of renowned basic and clinical researchers, including Burkhard Becher, Onur Boyman, Reinhard Dummer, Alex Hajnal, Michael Hottiger, Markus Manz, Holger Moch and Lukas Sommer. In addition, six postdoctoral fellows (Virginia Cecconi, Carsten Krieg, Evelyn Lattmann, Sonia Tugues, Thomas Valenta, Sandra Varum) are employed by our URPP, who all have a bridging function between different clinical and fundamental cancer research groups within our consortium. In the near future, the URPP will recruit two assistant professors.

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SCOOPED Spotlight

Call for research projectsBecause our URPP explicitly wants to support young, talented scientists, we have launched a first call for research projects some time ago. We received 29 proposals that were reviewed by an international committee. The four best proposals each received funding of CHF 75’000.We just launched a second call, which addresses PhD students and young PostDocs and will support 10 projects with CHF 10’000 each. More information about the second call can be found on our website.

Our research focusThe research of the URPP “Translational Cancer Research” specifically focuses on the following four sub-projects:

A. Oncogenic signal transduction pathways as targets for personalized tumor therapyB. Tumor immunologyC. Tumor biopsy and live tumor cell biobank linked with clinical outcome dataD. Translation from bench to bedside and back

Fundamental and clinical researchers are collaborating within each of these projects in different constellations to promote maximal exchange, innovation and translation.

Our website

More information about the individual projects can be found on our website: www.cancer.uzh.ch

The University Research Priority Project “TRANSLATIONAL CANCER RESEARCH”by Maries van den Broek

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Dr. Sandra VarumIdentification of putative neural crest stem cell factors and their potential implications in me-lanoma

Dr. Evelyn Lattmann Cell invasion during Caenorhab-ditis elegans development and metastasis of human melanoma: Is there a common signature?

Dr. Sonia TuguesRole of T-cell derived cytokines in the pathogenesis of graft ver-sus host disease (GvHD) and graft versus laeukemia (GVL)

Dr. Tomas ValentaThe roles of β-catenin in squa-mous cell carcinoma

Dr. Carsten KriegTargeting cancer with combina-tion immunotherapies

Dr. Virginia Cecconi The roles of β-catenin in squa-mous cell carcinoma

URPP Fellows

Prof. Dr. Gerhard Rogler - January 2013Department of gastroenterology and hepatologyPD Dr. Michael Scharl - January 2013Department of gastroenterology and hepatologyProf. Dr. Steffen Gay - June 2013Center of Experimental RheumatologyProf. Dr. Alex Soltermann - June 2013Institute of Surgical PathologyProf. Dr. Peter J. Wild- July 2013Institute of Surgical PathologyDr. Wei-Lynn Wong - July 2013Institute of Experimental ImmunologyPD Dr. Ulf Petrausch - July 2013Clinic for OncologyProf. Dr. Kerstin Gari - September 2013Institute of Molecular Cancer Research

Prof. Dr. Amadeo Caflish - November 2013Department of BiochemistryProf. Dr. Bernd Bodenmiller - December 2013Institute of Molecular Life SciencesProf. Dr. Achim Weber - December 2013Institute of Surgical PathologyProf. Dr. Rolf Graf - January 2014Department of of Visceral and Transplant SurgeryDr. Alexandre Theocharides - January 2014Division of HematologyDr. Mitch Levesque - March 2014Department of DermatologyProf. Dr. Roger Stupp - March 2014Clinic for Oncology

Dr. Alexandre Theocharides Division of HematologyUniversity Hospital Zurich

Can you give us a brief overview of your carreer?I went to medical school in Basel. I did my residency in hematology at the University Hospitals in Basel and Bern and obtained my board certi-ficate (FMH) in hematology in January 2013. In March 2013, I joined the team of M. Manz in the division of hema-tology at the University Hos-pital Zurich. I participated in the Postgraduate course in

medicine and biology (University of Zurich) and did postdoctoral fellowships in the laboratory of Prof. Skoda (Basel, 2 years) and Prof. Dick (Toronto, Canada, 3 ye-ars). When did you move to Zurich?March 2013When did you join the Cancer Network Zurich and why?I joined the CNZ in January 2014. The CNZ is a great platform to connect with other researchers, exchange ideas, data, protocols. How many people are currently working in your lab?One so far. A laboratory technician will join my team in August. I am looking for a PhD student. What is the main focus of your research?Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are pre-leukemic hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by in-creased proliferation of one or more hematopoietic cell lineages. The incidence of MPN is highest in the aging population and MPN prevalence will significantly in-crease in the following decades. Although recent advan-ces in diagnosis and subsequent therapies led to impro-ved MPN patient survival, most patients die from cardiovascular events or from transformation to acute

leukemia. While the key transforming genetic events oc-cur in the MPN initiating cell, MPN cells depend on their microenvironment for competitive outgrowth and subsequent progression to a more aggressive disease. The goal of my research is to gain understanding of the microenvironmental interactions that MPN cells require to survive and to translate this knowledge into the deve-lopment of novel therapeutic approaches. As murine models only partially reflect the complexity of human disease, a majority of the experiments are performed with primary patient cells in vitro and in vivo in a xeno-graft model for HSCs. For this we have access to multi-ple next-generation immunodeficient mice that the group of M. Manz has generated within a consortium. I am also an attending physician of a recently established outpatient clinic for patients with MPN in the division of hematology at the University Hospital Zurich. The research platform and the strong interactions with the division of hematology constitute an ideal and attractive infrastructure to assess efficacy of therapeutic com-pounds and collaborate with the pharmaceutical indus-try to further translate evidence established in my labo-ratory to clinical trials.What was your most memorable lab experience?When we managed to make macrophages “eat” leuke-mic cells. What is the motivation that keeps you going? Interesting data. Even better: When people are interes-ted in my work. To see correlations between lab-findings and clinical data. Which advice would you give a fresh PhD student? • Show negative data. • Work in a team, not only by yourself.• Troubleshoot. What is the last book you have read? Inferno, Dan Brown.

SCOOPED Interviews

New CNZ Members 2013 - 2014

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New CNZ Members 2013 - 2014Prof. Dr. Kerstin GariInstitute of Molecular Cancer ResearchUniversity of ZurichCan you give us a brief overview of your career?

I studied biology in Heidelberg and Montpellier before I mo-ved to the University of Lau-sanne in 2003 for my PhD the-sis. In Lausanne, I got interested in the maintenance of genome stability in general and the di-sastrous consequences of ge-nome instability with respect to cancer development in parti-cular. I further developed my

interest in mechanisms related to genome stability du-ring my post-doctoral work at the London Research In-stitute.When did you move to Zurich?I moved to Zurich in September 2013 to start as an Assis-tant Professor at the Institute of Molecular Cancer Re-search.When did you join the CNZ and why?I joined the CNZ in September 2013 because I believe that scientific exchange and collaborations are key to re-search. In addition, the CNZ as part of the Life Science Graduate School Zurich is instrumental in the recruit-ment of top-class PhD students.How many people are currently working in your lab?We are currently a group of five people: two PhD stu-dents, one post-doctoral fellow, one research technician and me.What is the main focus of your research?Research in my lab is mainly focused on a subset of pro-teins that play a role in the maintenance of genome sta-bility: proteins that bind to an iron-sulphur cluster. In recent years, several key players in the processes of DNA replication and repair have been shown to bind to an iron-sulphur cluster, but the actual function of these co-factors in the context of genome stability is very poorly understood.What was your most memorable lab experience?I still remember an early «lab» experience in high school when we isolated DNA from a piece of meat. I found it very impressive that this gooey substance that you can roll up on a glass stick contains essentially all the infor-mation it takes to build an organism!What is the motivation that keeps you going?Curiosity. I think it is very rewarding to be able to con-tribute a little piece to our understanding of how a cell works and by extension of what goes wrong in the con-text of tumour development.Which advice would you give a fresh PhD student?Enjoy it! (but be prepared that it will not always be easy...)What is the last book you have read? On the occasion of his recent death, I have started rea-ding a book of one of my favourite writers: Gabriel Gar-cía Márquez.

Dr. Wei-Lynn WongInstitute of Experimental Immunology University of ZurichCan you give us a brief overview of your career?

a) BSc Co-op – University of Guelph (Guelph, Canada) I specialized in Biochemistry and did a program where we applied, interviewed and worked in industry, academia or government for 4-8 months on a given research project b) PhD – University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada) at the Ontario Cancer Institute

studying compounds (statins, organosulfur compounds) that specifically induce apoptosis in tumor cells c) Postdoc – Walter + Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (Melbourne, Australia) and LaTrobe University (Melbourne, Australia) NF-κB in myelopoeisis for a short time, then studied Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) and how they modulate tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling along with receptor interacting serine/threonine protein kinases (RIPK). When did you move to Zurich?Oct 2011. I joined the Institute of Experimental Immunology.When did you join the CNZ and why?July 2013 – I started in cancer research, and I’ve always gravitated back to it. It strikes old, young, rich, poor – every demographic and there are plenty of cancers where we haven’t made any head way increasing survival or effective therapies.How many people are currently working in your lab?2 PhD students, Kay Haenggi and Janin Knop.What is the main focus of your research?The general theme of all my research has been understanding how to trigger cell death and understanding the mechanisms that regulate programmed cell death. We study two forms of programmed cell death – apoptosis and necroptosis with a particular focus on IAPs and RIP kinases. These proteins are important in both innate immunity, death receptor signaling and also directly regulate cytokines. Our goal is to understand how cell death influences cytokine production or vice versa in normal and diseased settings.What was your most memorable lab experience?It`s hard to pick one, so I’d rather single out a humbling experience. I got a print of my first first author paper and gave it to my parents as a way to show them what all their help has led to. My mom, after a brief look, just said “very good” and proceeded to fold it and put it in her purse. I think after this I realized that all the research I published would be useless if I didn’t learn how to explain the significance to others.What is the motivation that keeps you going?Loads of stuff - getting to learn something every day, putting the pieces together, knowing that maybe at one point, my work will help in putting cancer at bay. Which advice would you give a fresh PhD student?Perseverence. If only 10% of your experiments ‘work’ then you are doing well. With research you often have to learn to pick yourself up and go at it again.What is the last book you have read? A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin and re-reading Microserfs by Douglas Coupland.

SCOOPED Interviews

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Whatever became of......Vanessa CraigNIBR Post-Doc, Novartis, Basel, SwitzerlandIn which group of the CNZ did you obtain your PhD and how did you proceed afterwards?I completed my PhD in the group of Prof. Anne Muel-ler (2007-2010) and then continued as a Postdoc in her lab for one year. After my PhD, I wanted to do a Post-doc in the direction of translational oncology research and was also keen for a change of environment. There-fore, after looking into a few labs in academia I decided to apply to the Novartis Institute of Biomedical re-search (NIBR) postdoctoral program. Could you give us a short description of your current position, including daily responsibilities?Compared to being a postdoc in academia, I would say one major difference is the number of meetings to at-tend. A typical day would therefore involve juggling meetings, seminars and also being at the bench. I’m also currently supervising two masters’ students. In addition, I regularly attend courses that NIBR offers on drug discovery and development as well as interperso-nal skills. Why did you choose this position?Firstly, I thought this would be a great way to satiate my curiosity about big pharma without closing the door to academia. Secondly, I absolutely wanted to work in an environment where research is focused on therapeutic applications. Altogether, the postdoc pro-gram provides a unique opportunity to carry out aca-demically orientated research while being able to learn about the intricacies of drug discovery and develop-ment. In the end, I‘m very pleased I chose this posi-tion.

Where did you apply for you current position and what did the application process look like?I simply followed the formal application process for the NIBR Postdoc Program featured on the Novartis website. The process took almost one year and inclu-ded a telephone interview, followed by a full day on-site interview and then the submission and acceptance of a research proposal which I composed. Thankfully they have recently made the application process much shorter for newcomers. Are you happy with you current position and to whom would you recommend it?It has been a great experience for me so far and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get an insight into industry. I am very happy with the work environment and atmosphere and also grateful for the access I have to extensive resources. It’s also a great way to learn about other career opportunities within pharma. I would also recommend the position to peo-ple who have a penchant for team work and also have very good networking skills. It’s important to remem-ber that the main goal of a NIBR postdoc, like any post-doc, is to publish their work. For some postdocs this is therefore not an ideal environment since publishing papers is not the main interest for companies. Another aspect which may be challenging to some is that it isn’t as easy to openly share results with external scientists. But if these aspects don’t bother you, go for it!What are your plans for the future?I would like to lead my own research group in the field of epigenetics and cancer and for now I’m keeping my options open regarding the setting and location.

SCOOPED Alumni

...Gunther BoysenPostdoctoral Research Associate, Insitute of Cancer Research, London, UKIn which group of the CNZ did you obtain your PhD and how did you proceed afterwards?I graduated in 2009 and was part of the first group of CNZ students. After graduation I joined the lab of Mark Rubin at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York to work in prostate cancer genomics.Could you give us a short description of your current position, including daily responsibilities?Currently, I am working at the Institute of Cancer Re-search (ICR) in London. I am a research fellow in Jo-hann de Bonos lab focusing on stratifying late stage prostate cancer patients based on genomic alterations for biomarker-driven clinical trials. My daily routine includes design and execution of experiments using patient samples and various prostate cancer models as well as computational analyses of next generation se-quencing data. I spent a fair amount of time in project management including establishment of collabora-tions, research funding and keeping track of patients from our different clinical trials.Why did you choose this position?I like to work in translational research projects which are based on a clinical problem. The research environ-ment at the ICR is unique worldwide and allows me to

contribute as much as possible towards an improved trial design and more precise treatment of patients with an incurable disease.Where did you apply for you current position and what did the application process look like?There is nothing as important as networking and con-vincing people of your own ideas. I believe that the chances of finding a position on the open job market at this career stage are rather small. I got in touch with my current mentor through collaborations. We stayed in touch, designed a project and applied for funding. The whole process can easily take a year and happens in long hours after work.Are you happy with you current position and to whom would you recommend it?I am very happy with the choices I made and I am con-vinced that the training at the Cancer Network Zurich gave me the mindset and skills to proceed. The posi-tion can be recommended to everyone who is interes-ted in cancer research and is motivated to work in a clinical setting beyond simplified cancer models.What are your plans for the future?Establishing new concepts and strategies that improve the treatment of late stage prostate cancer.

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The 5th Cancer Biology PhD retreat was organized by a group of 6 PhD students (Melanie Ruf, Corina Schmid, Yan-nik Böge, Dennis Lindenblatt, Bernhard Robl and Ashish Sharma) and took place in the Seminarhotel Lihn in Filz-bach in Walensee from February 12-14th, 2014. 86 students participated and spent 3 days presenting their research in form of short talks or posters accompanied by lively and constructive discussions. Student talks were complemented by some general words and advice from Prof. Josef Jiricny and Prof. Markus Manz, as well as keynote lectures from invited speakers. Dr. Richard Grose from the Barts Cancer Institute in Lon-don, an expert on Fibroblast Growth Factor signaling, shared his latest research highlights. Also Dr. Boris Przytul-ski, Oncology General Manager, Novartis Switzerland, together with his colleague, Dr. Gregor Kiowski, provided insights into everyday work and job opportunities in the pharma industry. Furthermore, Prof. Markus Manz, who stepped in at short-notice for Prof. Peter Wild, gave an inspiring talk on hematopoietic stem cell biology. In order to digest all the scientific information, as well as the fantastic food at the seminar hotel and to foster social interactions between the participants, an outdoor activity in the beautiful Glarus Alps was organized. After a challenging snowshoe hike or entertaining Winter Olympics everyone mastered the sleigh ride back to Filzbach and arrived safely back at the hotel. On the last day the best posters and talks were honored. Hella Bolck, Matthias Bosshard and Simone Repmann received a prize for the best talks whereas Catharina Seidel, Chiara Giorgi, and Akshay Kumar received prizes for their posters. Altogether this retreat provided a great platform for scientific exchange between PhD students and strengthened the social network within the PhD program.

SCOOPED Retreat Reports

Cancer Biology PhD Students Retreat 2014

Poster prize winners: Catharina Seidel, Chiara Giorgi and Akshay Kumar Ahuja

Talk prize winners: Simone Repmann, Matthias Bosshard and Hella Bolck (not in picture)

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SCOOPED Miscellaneous

NEW CB PhD Student RepresentativesDear CB students,

The PhD program of the CNZ provides many great op-portunities to make the most of our time as PhD stu-dents. We get the chance to meet and network among each other, to share our scientific experiences as well as our leisure time. In the past two years, Simone Repmann and Holger Lehmann have been representing the PhD students within and outside the CNZ. They have also done a great job organizing the social get-together with the new PhD candidates. For their dedication and moti-vation we would like to thank them. During the last ret-reat we took over the students’ representative tasks from them and will from now on follow in their footsteps.In the future, we would like to maintain the tradition of organizing social and networking events. Additionally,

we are open to discuss any suggestions or issues that arise within the PhD program.Hella Bolck & Melanie Ruf

ImpressumEditors: Mara Hartung (PhD student), Corina Schmid (PhD student), Michael Flori (PhD student)Editorial board: Prof. Dr. Josef Jiricny (program director), Dr. Eveline Bergmüller (program coordinator)

Contact: Institute of Molecular Cancer Research Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zürich 0041 (0)44 6353485 cancerbionews@gmail.com

Homepage: http://www.cnz.uzh.ch/phdprogram.html

Cover picture: http://www.wordle.net

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CNZ Retreat 2015Hotel Seeblick, Vierwaldstättersee

Sunday April 12 – Tuesday April 14, 2015

All participants are invited to submit an abstract. The CNZ Steering Committee will select top-scoring abs-tracts for oral presentations. Furthermore, there will be a poster prize for the best three posters at the meeting.

Registration will be open starting September 23, 2014 at http://www.cnz.uzh.ch/Retreat.html

Deadline for registration and abstract submission is Ja-nuary 31, 2015. Registration is mandatory but free of charge.Notification of oral presentations will be four weeks af-ter the abstract submission deadline.

anceretworkzurich

(URPP): Trans-lational Can-cer Research

URPP Translational Cancer Research

6th Cancer Network Zurich Retreat

in Collaboration with the University Research Priority Program (URPP): Translational Cancer Research

and the Cancer Biology PhD Program

April 12 -14, 2015Hotel Seeblick, Emmetten

Registration & Abstract Submissionwww.cnz.uzh.ch/Retreat

Deadline January 31, 2015

Keynote Lectures

Bernd BodenmillerPetr Cejka

Michael DetmarHolger Moch

Dario NeriAlexandre Theocharides

CB PhD Program Mini-Symposium

Frances BalkwillMohamed Bentires-AljSteve Jackson

URPP TranslationalCancer Research Session

Burkhard BecherEvelyn Lattmann

Mitch LevesqueMarkus G. Manz

Contact: CNZ GeschäftstelleEveline Bergmüller

bergmueller@imcr.uzh.ch